Carluke Rovers returned to action after a lengthy lay-off, but the lack of match sharpness was evident as they turned in a disappointing display away to Vale of Leven, who ran out comfortable 4–0 winners with two goals in each half.

The hosts opened the scoring after just 10 minutes when Stuart Alexander’s effort from inside the box squirmed under Eoin Wallace in the Carluke goal. It set the tone for a difficult afternoon for Rovers, who struggled to gain any foothold in the game as Vale dominated possession and territory.

Martin Connolly doubled the lead in the 29th minute, rising unchallenged to head home from a corner, exposing Carluke’s defensive frailties.

Vale continued to create chances and could have gone in further ahead at the break, but for a couple of good saves by Wallace that kept the scoreline respectable. Carluke, by contrast, managed only a couple of half chances and failed to trouble the Vale goalkeeper in any meaningful way.

The second half got underway with Carluke fortunate to be still in the game but any hopes of a response after the interval were quickly extinguished when Connolly struck again four minutes after the restart. A run down the right wing saw a low cross into the box finding Connolly, once more afforded too much space to knock the ball home to make it 3-0. The same player completed his hat-trick in the 51st minute, finishing off another cross with his head as Vale capitalised ruthlessly on poor marking.

Rovers rang the changes with around half an hour remaining and, to their credit, the substitutions brought a degree of improvement. Mikey Downs impressed with his hold-up play and helped Carluke spend more time in advanced areas, but the damage had already been done and Vale saw the game out with ease. Final Score Vale of Leven 4 Carluke Rovers 0.

Overall, it was a sobering return for Carluke after weeks without football, with rustiness evident all over the park. A sharp improvement will be needed quickly if Rovers are to get back on track in the WOSFL next week against an in form East Kilbride YM.

Photography by Kevin Ramage